Living and Dying on the Factory Floor by David Ranney

Author:David Ranney
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Independent Publishers Group
Published: 2019-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

The arbitration comes a week later and is held in a conference room at the Federal Office Building. We walk in with both Kingsley and Val. The union and company are each represented by a lawyer. A trained arbitrator who is supposedly neutral states that he will hear testimony from both sides and attorneys will be able to cross examine witnesses. The union lawyer, Ed Benn, raises his hand and the mediator calls on him. “Since we are representing Chicago Shortening workers for the union, Mr. Clarke and Mr. Klink have no standing here. I request that they be excluded from the proceedings.”

Lawrence jumps to his feet. “They don’t represent us. They’re in bed with the company and that’s what this whole thing’s about.”

Lawrence is admonished by the arbitrator. “You are not allowed to speak unless called upon.” Val and Kingsley try to object and are similarly admonished. “I agree with Mr. Benn. Mr. Clarke and Mr. Klink are excused. You may wait outside the room and your clients can come out to confer with you, but you are not allowed to be in this room or participate in the hearings.” Kingsley and Val leave. We all object loudly but are shushed and threatened with exclusion if we disrupt.

The rest is a total farce. We are allowed to tell our side. Cruse then testifies for the company. We write notes and pass them to union attorney Benn as Cruse tells one lie after the other. Benn doesn’t even look at our notes and puts them aside. We keep the notes coming and Benn gets angry and starts crumpling them up, tossing some on the floor. Benn does not contest any of the company testimony. We begin to disrupt the proceedings. The arbitrator shouts at us that if we persist he will call security and have us ejected from the building. There is further testimony from company and union. I send Benn a note telling him to put Mason on the stand and ask him if he ever referred to the workers as “niggers.” Benn angrily crumples my note and tosses it on the floor.

At this point Lawrence jumps up. “The union attorney is not representing us. He refuses to ask questions we request.”

Benn responds, “I’m asking all the questions that are relevant to this case.” We disrupt and are threatened again. We walk out. We then start our train ride back to South Chicago in stony silence. John Logan breaks the silence. “If I had known what would happen when all this started I would still have done it. This has been the proudest time in my whole life.”

Everyone nods in agreement. I feel like I am about to burst into tears. But suddenly Lawrence begins to laugh. We all look at him like he has gone mad. “There ain’t no justice,” Lawrence says, “… just us.” Everyone smiles the rest of the way home.

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